host: chuck hagel -- what is your opinion? guest: i think he is clearly qualified. he has the background in defense. i would be foolish to say his confirmation process went well. he will have to do better than that in terms of building the relationships necessary in the house and the senate because credibility manages -- matters an enormous amount. he will be very dependent on the staff at the pentagon to implement whatever policy he wants. he will need their faith and confidence. he will have to work to earn that in the same thing in the house and the senate. secretary leon panetta and secretary robert gates, they had an enormous amount of credibility in the pentagon and in the congress. in tough times and tough decisions, that enabled them to be very effective. secretary chuck hagel will have to work at that hard it does not come automatically. host: what is your relationship with the chair of the armed services committee, buck mckeon? guest: it is outstanding. we have a long tradition of the chair and the ranking majority and minority working closely together. ou